June 26, 2024

• Brush: My hands
• Razor: Target disposable razor
• Blade: Whatever the hell in already in there
• Lather: Pace – Nacho Cheese Sauce, Medium
• Post Shave: Mountain Dew – Soft Drink
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps – Remote Learning EdP

Of all the things I did last Lather Games, getting u/rocketk455 to release Remote Learning may be my favorite. It started as a ridiculous question in my interview series, “How many people will it take for you to release Remote Learning?” and I 100% expected him to make a joke of my question. Then gave a real answer - 10! And several days before I published the interview, I double checked with him. Was he sure I could run with this? I was willing to pretend like it never happened now that he’s had a couple days to think on it. And once again, to my surprise, he said yes. I posted the interview, and a stand-alone post for the set, and the rest, as they say, is history.

So, for my Wildcard Wednesday shave, I want to honor the origins of Remote Learning. By shaving with Nacho Cheese Sauce and using Mountain Dew as my splash. Of course, there’s only one Remote Learning, so I finished off the shave with my lifetime supply of Remote Learning Frag. I think this is the 3rd time have sprayed it on myself…. And….

Here’s the video

All in all, it was better than I thought it was gonna be. The smell of the Pace Nacho Cheese was not good. Admittedly, I bought it at the dollar store, so I’m guessing they don’t stock the high-quality stuff, but it was slick enough and provided a nice protective barrier for the Target Disposable Razor. The scent did bring me back to my high school and college days when I would eat the worst foods imaginable with zero consequence or regard to the nutritional aspects of food. The Dew Splash was sticky and sweet, but I’m pretty sure all the sugar acts like an astringent to tighten the skin and seal up any micro cuts that occurred from the shave. The lemon and lime were invigorating, packing a nice caffeinated punch to close out the shave, although the carbonation damn near killed me when I got some up my nose while pouring it on my face. Hand to God, the Nacho Cheese of the frag smelled better than the Nacho Cheese Sauce. My wife did not approve of the scent combination and kindly requested I shower before going to bed. I, of course, obliged. All-in-all, this fragrance combination evoked the pleasant memory of a sticky movie theater floor, covered with Nacho Cheese Sauce and Mountain Dew, and allowed me to reminisce about years gone past and the fleeting nature of youth. This shave gave me a moment to reflect on the limited time any of us have on this planet called Earth. #FOF

Challenge: Cleaning brushes? They get cleaned when I put soap on them daily, right? I don’t have a brush cleaning routine. I’ve never cleaned a brush. Does that make me gross?

Soap Theme Justification: If someone else uses Pace Nacho Cheese Sauce, Medium before me, I’m gonna be pissed.

Relevant Post Shave & Fragrance: It’s Remote Learning, come to life. Then finishing with the EdP from Summer Break Soaps

June 26, 2024 – 2024..06.26 SOTD: Lather Games Day 26 – Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Paragon Shaving Black Synthetic 25mm in AP Shave Co. Blue & Clear handle
• Razor: Schick Xtreme 2-Blade Sensitive Men’s Disposable Razors
• Lather: Waterman – Sertentiy Blue Fountain Pen Ink
• Post Shave: Diamine – Nib Cleaning Solution
• Fragrance: Zoologist Perfumes – Squid

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Daily Theme: Wildcard Wednesday

Theme justification: Watermman Serenity Blue is fountain pen ink and is the first fountain pen ink being shaved with today.

Relevant Post Shave & Frag: Ink is today's relevant theme. Diamine Nib Cleaning Solution (aftershave) is used to clean ink off of nibs and feeds, and Zoologist Squid has black ink accord as a note

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Scavenger Hunt ~~Justification~~: COMPLETED

Razor facts: N/A

Brush facts: N/A

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Daily/Special Challenge: Clean Brush Talk

I mainly use synthetic brushes, so my cleanup is quite easy. After I shave, I rinse it under the tap. I squeeze out any remaining soap from the brush. After that, I go to my shower and rapidly squish my wrist to shake all the water out. I grab and squeeze the knot for a couple of shakes too, to insure all the water is out. Once all the water is gone, I'll run the brush over my arm (or something) quickly to reset the bristles (don't know how else to describe that). I don't think this really does anything, but it is habit now.

Quick, simple, and easy. #SynthsRule

Here's a pic of me cleaning my brush today.

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Fragrance description

Both my lather and aftershave were mainly odorless. Zoologist Squid, though, is my favorite Zoologist scent. It might be my favorite scent in my collection. I don't use it much since I only have a sample vial and don't want to waste what's left.

The first thing I notice is the peppercorn, but that dries down quickly. Then, the Opopanax shines through. At least, I believe that's what it is. A slightly sweet myrrh scent. I feel like I'm in a market Ancient Smyrna, where I anger a local merchant and he throws a squid at my face.

Okay, maybe not to squid part, but I had to put something in to highlight the ink note.

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Now onto the shave!

Thankfully there is no rule against cartridge razors today, so I'll be using the same Schick I used for Canned Goop day. Now lets get to this!

First, I'll start by decanting some ink. Don't want to just pour this stuff over my brush. Waterman Serenity Blue is one of my favorite, most used inks because of how well it behaves. It's the perfect office ink. That's for paper, though, and not my face. please don't turn me into the Blue Man Group

Now to load up the brush with the ~~ink~~ lather. Don't know how well this is going to work, but let get this on my face! First, have to load it into a blunt tipped syringe. This is so I don't use too much. Looks like a good amount to me. Loading the brush. And, finally, on the face. Gotta make sure it's lathered properly.

I tried to shave quick to minimize the amount of time the blue was on my face.

Now for the aftershave. I, again, loaded up my syringe for portion control, but this time of the Diamine Nib Cleaning Solution. Can't really see it in the bowl, but it's there.

Aftermath:

My face, thankfully, isn't a blueberry, but my shirt is going to need a wash.

Overall, do I recommend you shave with fountain pen ink? No, I do not. Can it be done? Yes, but at what cost? Hopefully Hobby Day will be happening again this year and I can let everyone know how to properly use fountain pen ink.

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Totals:

• Razor Hashtags: 10/10
• Brush Hashtags: 10/10
• Hardware Sponsor Points: 2/2
• Software Sponsor Points: 15/16
• Number of Lather Brands: 26/30
• Number of Lather Scents: 26/30
• Number of Post Shaves: 26/30
• Number of Frags: 26/30

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Contest Hashtags:

#FOF

#ROTY

June 26, 2024 - Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: AP Shave Co - Purple Ivory 26mm G5A SHD
• Razor: Aylsworth Apex
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Eleven Shaving - Lime and Basil
• Post Shave: EG380 - CL+T Aftershave
• Fragrance: EG380 - CL+T EdC #FOF

Today’s Theme:

Hopefully I’m the first to use this soap today. This is a super exclusive set of aftershave shave and EdC. You’ll have a really difficult time finding the CL+T. I had to go poking around to find where my wife hid it. But at last, there in a dark crevice of the fridge it was just peeking out a bit, and I found the CL+T.

Today’s Challenge:

Clean your brushes? But why clean something that is dirtied by soap? I haven’t really noticed a significant buildup of soap scum or other gunk in my brushes. I try to get them super clean after each shave. When I clean out the lather bowl. I first squeeze as much soap out as I can. Not wringing the knot, but just st getting the bulk out. I rinse the brush in clean water in the bowl, then squeeze that out. Then repeat until clear water comes out. Then I shake out the brush and stand it up on the counter. I usually rotate through 4 or 5 brushes so it gets a good chance to dry out. I think when I notice some buildup in a brush, I’ll try baby shampoo.

Fragrance:

I had two soaps I wanted to use with this aftershave and fragrance I concocted. It should be safe to drink, but maybe not drive after. It is a nice refreshing blend of cucumber, lemon, and thyme. The base for both is vodka. I added about a teaspoon of dried French thyme, zest of a large lemon, and about half a cucumber sliced to 8oz. of vodka. It macerated in the refrigerator for about a week. By that time, the liquid turned a bright yellow. I strained it out through coffee filters twice. I filled one bottle with about 3oz of the mixture and the rest into another bottle which almost filled it. For the short pour I added a mixture of water and aloe powder. I had a little too much powder for the liquid, so I filtered that out after the excess powder settled. The fragrance actually turned out better than I expected. I can distinguish the lemon, cucumber and thyme scents well. It a bright note of lemon, thyme is a favorite herb of mine, and the cucumber gives it a cool freshness. I only have two soaps I thought about using with this: Ethos Chill or Eleven Lime and Basil. Well Eleven gives me sponsor points. The soap scent is an immediate hit of the lime. The basil comes out more as a middle or base note. It smells good enough to eat, but I think I’ll pass. It was fun to come up with my own product, but I won’t be keeping it as I think it might go off before I could use it all. I considered having it as a cocktail after, but I’m going to go to the office this morning. They kind of frown upon arriving at work tipsy.

June 26, 2024 - Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: My hand
• Razor: RazoRock Lupo Silver
• Blade: Wizamet (40)
• Lather: Tostitos - Salsa Con Queso
• Post Shave: Mtn Dew - Mtn Dew
• Fragrance: Summer Break Soaps - Remote Learning

Challenge: I hardly ever clean my gear. I use ZM’s brush cleaner if I feel like a brush needs to be freshened up.

Video

The day has finally arrived. From my first (maybe only?) use of Remote Learning I said the soap smells like cheese powder. It lacks the tortilla chip corn smell of Doritos. So, to commemorate Remote Learning, I shaved with Tostitos Salsa Con Queso. It smells like nacho cheese and peppers, which might have bothered me if I wasn’t so concerned with queso dripping all over the place. It shaved better than some of the soaps I’ve used this month. Post-shave, the cheese smells a bit like vomit, which is fitting for a shelf-stable cheese-product.

I did the Dew. Mtn Dew did nothing to tighten or hydrate my skin. It’s a terrible aftershave. I’ve heard Starburst candies aren’t flavored. They’re only scented. i.e. your brain thinks “strawberry” because that’s what it smells like, not what it tastes like. I don’t know if that's true. But, I realized this soda (I’ll refrain from calling all soda Coke for the purpose of this post, even though that's what we do in Georgia) doesn’t smell as strong as Remote Learning because there’s no fragrance. I’m only smelling the flavors in the beverage, which aren’t strong in the context of aftershave. It was no match for the nacho cheese.

The Remote Learning edt is truly the smell of spite. Well, You Did This probably tops it. But, that was meant for /u/cowzilla3. The cheese note is bracing. It’s like inhaling the cheese packet from a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese (KD/Kraft Dinner to our Canadian wetshavers). Then, because smelling like fake cheese for 4-5 hours wasn’t enough, there’s also Mtn Dew. I bought it because it was funny and I wanted to be in on the joke. But, these things don’t smell good together. It’s revolting. It reminds me of a boardgaming store I used to play at. It’s true. Some nerds have bad personal hygiene. Of course saying this smells bad is like saying Snakes On A Plane is a bad movie. I knew what I was getting.

#photocontest - Fill the Frame

#FOF

Edit: took another SOTD pic

Jun. 26, 2024

• Brush: The CaYuen Workshop Diablo Badger

• Razor: Blackland Sabre

• Blade: PAL Blue Blade #STAINLESSLESS

• Lather: A A Shaving - Gale - Soap

• Post Shave: Spearhead Shaving Co - Seaforth! 3 Scots

• Fragrance: Spearhead Shaving Co - Seaforth! 3 Scots

Wildcard Wednesday.

I normally shave in the afternoon after work, but I’m up early today to use this soap. I needed the Sponsor points and I wanted to use it day one, but there was a screw up at the vendor and it did not make it in time. Anyway the soap is ok for me. Lathers well, but the scent is not the strongest. It’s there but it disappears pretty quickly.

I used a PAL SE blue blade for the hashtag. My face is not happy with me.

Daily Challenge I make sure to rinse my brushes after every use. I hold it to my ear and run my thumb through it. If I still hear soap I rinse again. I have one brush that it hogs so much lather that I actually soak it in a cup of warm water for a good 15-20 minutes after I do the initial rinsing. When I get a new knot. I use Zingari Man brush cleaner then I’ll use Proraso green to wash the knot, then I use Stirling Baker Street to finish getting the funk out. I’ll lather the knot for a few days in a row before I use it. Synthetic I just soak in some water to get any dust and dirt out.

Photo Contest. Bucket

#ROTY #FOF #photocontest

June 26, 2024 – LG Day 26 – Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Ateco Ultra Offset Spatula, 7.75in, Black Handle
• Razor: Chiseled Face Legacy Aluminum
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Hugbckt Homestead – Vanilla Buttercream
• Post Shave: PepsiCo – Starry
• Fragrance: House of Mammoth – Rumble – EdP

Have you ever watched Is It Cake? and thought to yourself, “boy oh boy, I wish I could be one of those cakes.”? Yes? Well, same here. So I made it a reality today.

First, I whipped up some buttercream frosting. It’s pretty easy to do, even if you’re not a baker! I mean, I personally am a home baker who has made wedding cakes in the past, but that’s an irrelevant brag I wanted to throw in here. In process, and final product. (Note: All photos from here on out are SFW-ish, as long as your work is okay with hairy shoulders and above-the-nipple-line-chest.)

Then, I grabbed my offset spatula and went to work. As it turns out, ones head is harder to frost than cake. Even with a day’s stubble, there wasn’t enough to grab onto – possibly a result of all those pesky naturally occurring oils in skin. With much more effort than I was anticipating, I managed to get it done. But you know, that didn’t seem like enough. I looked like an incomplete cupcake. And what I wanted to be was a complete cupcake. So I added some sprinkles. Still not enough. This is a cause worthy of celebration. This is my third Lather Games. Kind of like a third birthday, you know? And as such, I found a way to adequately celebrate this.

I have become Cupcake, destroyer of worlds. (Bonus points if you catch what I was going for with my drawing/markup that keeps this photo safe for work!)

After shaving, I splashed on everybody’s favorite children’s birthday party soda, ~~Sprite~~ Starry. Ahh. Satisfying.

Was too tired to take a proper video, so I took a video (not modest enough to share), took screenshots and cropped for SFW-ish, and made a lil photo album that I think adequately show my dismay and regret through the process.

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When making buttercream that isn’t destined for my head, I typically use organic powdered sugar as recommended by Stella Parks. Paying the premium is rough, but the flavor is more rounded, and far less sickly sweet. This batch is quite sweet. Scents of vanilla and white sugar, with slight lactic notes from the butter and splash of milk. Starry (the artist formerly known as Sierra Mist) is a classic lemon-lime scent, sticky sweet but not overly saccharine, ultimately refreshing, the perfect way to wash down birthday cake. Rumble joins us to represent chocolate ice cream (a flavor many people enjoy), covered in a special coffee-rum sauce only available to the grown-ups. A perfect finish to a joyous party. #FOF

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Brushes are scientifically proven to be dishwasher safe, microwave safe, washing machine safe, thermonuclear reactor safe, and sometimes they clean themselves like cats do. Any of those methods should work fine for ya.

In reality, when one of my boar brushes get gnarly, I lather it up on a bar of Dial antibacterial soap, as I do when I have a brush I’m selling, PIFing, passing on, etc. It seems to work alright, but I’m genuinely looking forward to learning what others do.

2024-06-25 - ~~Stir-Fry-Day~~ Wildcard Wednesday

First, go ahead and check the spelling for yourself here. No blushes, razers, or flagrants this time.

• L​a​t​h​e​r​: Viet Huong Three Crabs Fish Sauce
• P​o​s​t​ ​S​h​a​v​e​: Emperor - Shao Hsing Cooking Wine
• F​r​a​g​r​a​n​c​e: Kilbrin - Irish Whisky
• R​a​z​o​​r: Micromatic Open Comb (MMOC)
• B​r​u​s​h​: ~~Ikea - Tillagd Fork~~ Hand

Unifying Theme:
As before, this is inspired by one of my favorite kitchen concoctions: stir-fry. I was never comfortable with how I had the fish sauce in all three software slots in last year's fakeout, so I brought in other ingredients from my stir-fry sauce—or have used in it, anyway; the whisky I've used only once in stir-fry, though I'm not sure whether it actually did anything to the flavor.

I'm frankly opposed to the idea of shaving with bizarre, non-descript, non-lather slime, and not just because I'm not a fan of the idea of shaving with this horrible fishy ooblek. My original plan was, like last year, to mix the tapioca in to thicken it up and help it stick. Do you remember ooblek, from when you were a kid? It's a non-newtonian fluid and it doesn't stick to anything. So mixing in the tapioca was never an option. I figured the MMOC would be able to handle the paste, but that's kind of moot considering the paste isn't plausible.

Side note for Clean Brush Talk:
At least when I'm using the "brush" I intended to use, I can just throw it in the dishwasher!
When using an actual brush with actual lather, I generally just give it a thorough rinse and squeeze/shake after the shave. Very rarely, I've been known to give a brush a soak in a vinegar mixture, but I don't find it all that necessary.

A discovery I've recently made on the topic of gear-cleaning is for razors: gun-cleaning solvent is fantastic! Not CLP or Hoppe's #9, though. No, just the cleaning solvent, preferably one that's odorless. I started using Shooter Lube, and I hear Clenzoil is similar in this regard. Soap gunk gone in a flash (no pun intended)!

But I digress.

#FOF Here's what you should know about fish sauce: 1) Adding a bit of it to scrambled eggs makes them incredible; 2) it stinks. Bad. Bad enough that rubbing a bunch of it around your nose-holes will make you want to vomit. The smell does not go away. Even after a shower. For a while. I'll let you know.

The cooking wine seems like it would provide relief, but that's only in contrast to the fish sauce. It's also a horrible smell. It's just wine, after all. Cheap wine (not that that makes any difference, really).

Pile on top of that irish whiskey? I have no desire to consume the stuff, and this experience... well, it reinforces that. I guess that, when cooking, it's supposed to help bring out other flavors; I think it performed similarly for the fish stench.

So no, I'm not interested in doing any of that, and you can see how today's little experiment confirms that it's horrible all around. Plus, I promised u/tsrblke that I was only going to use actual shaving products for my LG shave today.

The djudges will find that the portal agrees that this is my actual submitted shave for today:

• Lather: Wild Magnolia - Bourbon Tobacco
• Post Shave: Henri et Victoria - Cognac & Cuban Cigars
• Fragrance: Stirling Soap Co. - Haverford
• Razor: Gillette Travel Tech
• Brush: West Coast Shaving - Two-Tone Synthetic

Unifying Theme: Tobacco Pairings
That is, they're all tobacco plus another flavor (bourbon, cognac, and vanilla, respectively).

Oh, and that's my dedicated beanbag-shaving razor, which was the very purpose it fulfilled today.

#photocontest Hobbies
I'm not really thrilled about having yet another photo like this, but the topic is relevant to my ramblings for today's challenge, plus it's my most recent buy-too-much-of-a-given-thing rabbit hole, plus I just wanted to draw more attention to my real SOTD setup.

Part of the reason I don't like bringing attention to this particular hobby, such as it is, is that it's strongly associated with a particular kind of ~~person~~ douchebag. Like, just as one example that barely scratches the surface of the tip of that iceberg, you would not ~~believe~~ be surprised at the wild misogyny that's celebrated in some of those subs. Holy shit.

Day 26

• Brush: Boti – 28mm Synthetic
• Razor: Silver Star Vintage DE
• Blade: Gillette Silver Blue
• Lather: Wholly Kaw – Project Leather Soap
• Post Shave: Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars Splash
• Fragrance: Mont Blanc – Legend EdP

So last year, I had no idea people used ridiculous things for Wildcard Wednesday and then the first two posts of the day were u/OnionMiasma using Motor Oil and u/Priusaurus using KY Jelly. And I told myself that I want to do something fun for Wildcard Wednesday next year. And here I am, using Wholly Kaw’s Project Leather. I don’t have a lot of Wholly Kaw in my shave den and didn’t have another place to put this, so here we are. It’s risky business relying on Wildcard Wednesday for a Sponsor point, but I like to live on the edge!

Today’s shave is one that made me feel like Ron Burgundy. Starting off with Wholly Kaw's Project Leather, I felt like I was transported into a high-end leather workshop. The lather exploded with a strong deep scent of leather, with the unmistakable addition of cigars, bourbon, and vanilla. This is exactly what I’d imagine Ron Burgundy’s house smells like. For my splash, the Henri et Victoria Cognac & Cuban Cigars was the perfect fit. The scent was a brilliant blend of smooth cognac and rich, earthy tobacco, keeping me right there, hanging out with Ron Burgundy at a sophisticated gentleman's club. The splash not only soothed my skin but also left me feeling like a debonair connoisseur of the finer things in life. To finish off scents, I used on Mont Blanc’s Legend EdP. Legend is Ron Burgundy in a fragrance – It’s leather, woody, and masculine. Using it brings an aura of sophistication and timeless elegance, and completely unjustified confidence, and that’s the Ron Burgundy way! #FOF

Sidecontest: #photocontest: Wood.

Challenge: I like the method of using warm water, a drop of dawn, and a little vinegar. I've only done it once, and I'm honestly not sure it made a difference, but it made me feel good about giving everything a cleaning.

iamhonestlylying’s Daily Top 5:

In honor of “Wildcard Wednesday”… The Top 5 Songs with the word “Wild” in the Title

5.) Taylor Swift - Wildest Dreams – Tay Tay is an absolute musical juggernaut. She will be on damn near any top 5 music list anyone does these days.

4.) Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa- Young, Wild and Free ft. Bruno Mars – Just in case you didn’t know, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, and Bruno Mars (1) get drunk, (2) smoke weed, (3) have fun, and (4) don’t care who sees.

3.) Steppenwolf - Born to Be Wild – I like to blast this song as I drive in my Honda Civic with my hands at 10 o’clock and 2 o’clock, going safely 5 MPH over the speed limit.

2.) The Troggs - Wild Thing – Kinda funny to think these guys were the badasses of their day.

1.) Will Smith - Wild Wild West ft. Dru Hill, Kool Mo Dee – To this day, I don’t know if this was supposed to be a joke of a song, or serious. Either way, with Will Smith as a rapping cowboy, I’m absolutely here for it.

June 26, 2024

• Brush: BBQ Baster
• Razor: Bic Sensitive #rainbow
• Blade: whatever comes in a bic (1)
• Lather: Schnuck’s – Bragging Rights St. Louis BBQ Sauce
• Post Shave: AB-InBev – Busch Beer
• Fragrance: Schnuck’s – Liquid Smoke, Hickory

WCW has arrived. My #photocontest right now has no props! Because this shave embraces the edible by itself. Sure it’s not “Sugar and Sweets” except it contains a lot of sugar, and the sauce is sweet. Let’s explain: I’m following in the long line of food themed shaves but putting my own spin on it. Let’s walk through the #fof that is a STL BBQ shave.

Now, purists will note STL BBQ is more like “grilling” which is true, we slice pork but about 1.5 inch thick, grill it and simmer it in sauce for the remainder of the day. The end result is delicious, and this shave pays homage to that. STL BBQ sauce is traditionally Mauls (Don’t base your Bar-b-que MAUL IT!) but Maul’s went out of business a while back. Partially because most stores put out their own rough equivalent, and that’s what we’re using today Schnuck’s brand “Bragging rights” STL style BBQ sauce. Now Maul’s was popular because it was really just a base for other things, and no STL BBQ is complete without BUUUUSCCCCHHH. You throw some in the sauce to thin it (then add brown sugar, mustard, spices, etc.) and drink the rest. So, I’ve incorporated it as today’s splash. Finally, to capture the smoke flavor, dabbing some liquid smoke on as EdP. This is more accurately extrait strength, but you get the idea. (It’s probably also applying concentrated carcinogen to my skin….).

Now, we don’t grill inside, so what does that mean? Back to the patio for an outside shave. But it’s raining. That’s OK, confidence in your strategy is knowing you can wait for the rain to end before shaving. Also no worrying about wall placement this time, we can set up at the BBQ. In my…exposed back yard. All good though, I’m out here a ton fiddling with the BBQ pit so this probably won’t even register with the neighbors. As I set up the rain started to move in again. This meant I wouldn’t be able to get good pictures. So I moved back into my kitchen for the purposes of getting a video done. I kept it under 3 minutes for the judges (worst shave of the game so far.)

Now today is my anniversary, so you’re probably thinking “WTF he slathered himself in BBQ sauce?” But oddly, this is thematic. See, I proposed to my wife in Memphis, TN, right after we went out for dinner at the Rendezvous. And when I handed her the ring, and looked at her…she had a bit of BBQ sauce on her cheek. I wiped it off, later when we headed down to the lobby of the Peabody Hotel to watch the ducks, she noticed I too had BBQ sauce on my cheek. So here’s to 14 years.

Since I now have to go clean up, for the challenge I’ll talk about my brush cleaning routine. It’s fairly standard. I use Zingari brush cleaner. I follow up by lathering in a tub of Stirling Bonafide to restore any necessary fat/oils to the hairs. This tub is only used for brush cleaning (I maybe shaved with it once.) I got it on clearance (it was a Black Friday soap and I picked it up when they were liquidating all the scents.) It’s a dupe of someone’s L’homme (Prada I think.) It’s an ok scent. Stirling defined it as “office friendly.” But didn’t really wow me. But since it’s fairly non-offensive I find it useful for finishing brush cleanings, especially on the pass arounds. I’ve cleaned a lot of brushes for those pass arounds, so the tub is lower than you’d expect.

June 26, 2024 – LG 26: Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Rx Shaving Maggard 26mm Synthetic
• Razor: Gillette Tech
• Blade: Voskhod (8)
• Lather: Geo F. Trumper – Rose Cream
• Post Shave: Taylor of Old Bond Street – Royal Forest
• Post Shave: Truefitt and Hill – Apsley Balm
• Fragrance: D.R. Harris – St. James 1684

All your obscure “liquids” and “soaps” today. What’s more wild than rolling the dice and using one of the world’s more common brands. That seems like the wildest riskiest move of all. And waiting until later in the day, that’s truly daring.

Today, I planned my quest, with 4 stops to make. On my jaunt today I made my first stop to get some soap (aka cream). On to stop 2, the famous TOBS store, it was actually quite happening in there, where I got some AS cream. I continued my journey for stop 3, where surprisingly I went with an unsolicited recommendation for EDT. That said, the man was kind and just doing his job. Lastly, I made it to stop 4, where the lady was way to liberal with her sprays. Sadly, they had no splash, so I went with another balm (which was outrageously overpriced). All in all this quest was likely only matched by Frodo and the fellowship on their quest to destroy the one ring. However, instead of being a semi-hopeless hobbit, I felt like this at all of the stores. In case the judges need me to spell out the connection, these were all purchased today on site and the England storefronts.

For our #FOF, the geo f is a straight forward rose. The TOBS royal forest is like a fruity vanilla floral. The T&H is a very grapefruit citrus forward ‘cologne’ like blend with touches of lavender. Lastly, the DRH is a versatile unisex frag that again opens quite fruity, and mellows to soft florals.

For #PHOTOCONTEST, I’m going with humor today. Dry sarcastic humor is more my speed, and what is more humorous than spending tourist level prices and mid and low range products when I have an overflowing den of choices at home…

As for brush cleaning tips… I don’t really do that except the occasional dawn if I’m to sell. Though I’m open to suggestions after this ube mishap earlier in the LG.

Todays sponsor. I like my Henson, but I also got it for free in the inaugural Adventus Calendar. It is a fool proof razor and I’m glad it’s helping folks switch to wetshaving. The owner/spokesperson seemed like a bit of a tool though in his latherhog podcast.

LG 26 - Wildcard Wednesday

• Brush: Hand
• Razor: Coffee wodden stick x 2
• Blade: Personna Platinum Chrome (1)
• Lather: Home Brewed Cream - Cottage Cheese & Honey
• Post Shave: Granini - Arándanos y uva
• Fragrance: Myurgia - 1916

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Last minute shave had to improvise. The first thing I found in the refrigerator, was cottage cheese, why not! I mixed it with honey for the sticky factor.

I glued the blade to the coffee stick with two components fast glue.

The entire process, notch included.

.#FOF Today I made my custom gourmand scent cheese, honey, blueberries, grape with Myurgia - 1916 classic colonia scent.

I almost forget the challenge, my brushes get clean with shaving soap a good rinse, and letting them dry.

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June 26, 2024

• Brush: Muninn Woodworks purple burl AP Shave Co. 24mm MiG
• Razor: Karve CB SB-D
• Blade: Gillette Nacet
• Lather: Red House Farm – Sedona

I am slow to post this so had all the brands I didn’t use yet as a backup in case I get sniped. Today I used this lovely scent from Red House Farms, a soap maker I would encourage others to give a try. Pretty affordable, works well, and scents are nice. Sedona’s scent is based on what would be encountered in Sedona, Arizona. I never been there but assume it is desert, or at least partly. I get a lot of pine, but a woodsy natural pine, which I find different than the balsamy not as woodsy pine scent. Yes, balsam is natural but its association with the holidays probably did that to me. I imagine low, bushy evergreens in a clay desert. Which the soap ironically kind of looks like clay. I think the patchouli is giving me the clay notes. I find it true to its intent, and brings me to a dry, dusty, piney desert. Extremely pleasant and naturey. It reminds me of a memory of a summer wedding in Lake Tahoe. Not a desert by any means but huge pines and it was very dry and dusty. Hiking was amazing. The bride and groom did not expect the low temps at night during the reception (destination wedding). It was frigid. Table clothes turned to blankets, I got a radiation burn on my face from the outdoor heater, and to top it off they did not like cake so replaced the wedding cake with ice cream. It actually was a great trip and fun wedding, just cold but that forced everyone to dance to avoid frostbite.

Clean brush talk: I used to have hard water and I felt this was much more noticeable prompting me to clean my brushes. I diluted vinegar, no scientific amount, and then “lathered” gently while letting it sit for a minute or two. This removes the hardness. Then rinse well. Then dish soap lather to remove the vinegar. Finally, lathered with a citrus type of shave soap (Stirling clementine was my go to). I did this maybe every couple months. Now that I have a softener, I honestly don’t do it much if at all.

Today I used the theme grass for the photocontest, which is probably my last easy one to get #photocontest

fof